Clutch.



W. H WAITE.

CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 3. I9I6.

v Patented May 15, 1917.

TED STA'1 ES PAT FFICE.

wmmlm H. WAI'IE, or CLEVELAND, onro, assrenon. TO THE BROWNING comramz,

. or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A coaroaarron or OHIO.

GLUilJCH.

eas es.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 15, 191%.

Application filed September 8, 1916. Serial No. 119,108. a

best mode in which I have contemplated apv plying that principle, so asto distingmsh' it from other inventions.

My invention relates to friction clutches of the type shown, describedand claimed in U. S. etters Patent No. 683,169, issued September 24,1901 to V. R. Browning, 1ts principal object being to provide a clutchstructure of the above-described character which will permit of theremoval or replace ment of the helical spring witha minimum of labor andin a minimum of time.

In the above-mentioned patented structure, the helical spring was ofunitary construction and the arrangement of parts is such that in orderto remove such unitary spring or replace same after having been broken,it was necessary to dismount the entire shaft and disconnect many of theparts therefrom before such removal or replacement could be effected; Y

The specific object, therefore, of my invention is to permit the use ofa clutch having the general construction of such patented device butwherein the spring is so arranged that it-may be removed withoutdismounting the, shaft or removing any of the other parts therefrom.,

The said invention consists of means hereinafter fully described andforth in the claims. 7

.The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detailcertain means embodying my invention, the disclosed means, however,constituting but one of particularly set various mechanical forms inwhich the principle of the invention may be applied.

In said annexed drawing Figure 1 represents a. cross-section of myimproved clutch, showing also a section of the shaft upon which it ismounted.

Fig. 2 represents a partial axial sect1on and elevation, showing afragmentary section of' the shaft.

Fig. 3 represents an elevation of the members of the clutch,'show1ngsame separated,

but. showing the driven member in axial section, the spring beingomitted.

. Fig. 4 represents an axial section of the riven member taken upon theplane at rlght angles to the plane of section of Figs. 2 and 3, showingthe remaining parts of the clutch in elevation but with portions ofbeneath same.

Fig. 5 represents an end view of the three segments of the spring. I

Flg. 6 represents a front elevation of .the spring segments allassembledu As in the above-mentioned patented structure, the illustratedembodiment of my-invention comprises a driven member 1 rotatably mountedupon the shaft 2, a suitablebus'hing 3 being providedv between thedriven member and shaft, as shown in Fig.

2. 'Thls driven member is formed with an internal cylindrical frictionsurface 4 which receives dlrectly the frictional contact of the hellcalsprln 5. A sleeve 6 is mounted upon the sha t and normally lies withinthe driven member 1, as shown. in Fig. 3, and this sleeve is formed with'a spring seat 7 and a shoulder 12 which receives the thrust of one endofthe spring. A second sleeve 10 is also mounted upon the shaft and isformed with a spring seat 11 and aseat 8 which receives the thrust ofthe other end of the spring. The sleeve 6 is formed with an end flange13 and the sleeve 10 with an end flange 14, against which the outersides of the spring lie, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. These sleeves areboth rotatably connected with the shaft by means of splines 15 whichextend into slightly elongated grooves 16 in these sleeves, whereby thelatter are permitted a limited rotative move whereby said collar may beshifted While rotating with the shaft, as will be understood. This wedgeengages oppositely disposed surfaces upon the collars 6 and 10respectively, so as to move said collars in'o posite dlrectlons, andthereby expands to the. spring broken away to disclose parts spring soas to cause its outer surface to frictionally engage. thefrictionsurface 4, I as in the case of said above-named patented device.

However, instead of maln'ng the sprmg of an integral structure as wasformerly the case, I out said spring so as to form a removable segment22, such segment being of a size such as to divide the spring into partswhich will have distances between their free ends suflicient to permitthem to be passed onto the shaft in a direction transverse with respectto the axis thereof.

In order-to, place the spring in position,

the sleeve 10 and collar 20,. are moved away from the driven member 1,as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the spring segments may he slipped ontothe shaft in the direction indicated, and placed in their properposltion upon the spring seat formed by the two sleeves 6 and 10. Afterhaving been so placed, sleeve 10 is moved into its proper positionabutting the sleeve 6 and thus confining the spring between the twoflanges 13 and 14:.

Suitable means are provided, as will be readily understood, forretaining the sleeves 6 and 10 in their proper'positions. It will thusbe. seen that while the spring is separated into a multiplicity of,parts, it may still perform the same function as a unitary spring and inthe same manner, but its removal from or replacement in the clutch isgreatly simplified, as will be readily understood.

Inasmuch as it is necessary to adjust the ends of the spring withreference to the parts of the sleeves against which they abut, I providethe seat 8, previously mentioned, for the reception of the removable andre placeable thrust block 9. This seat is beveled or undercut andreceives the block which maybe slipped into the seat from the side. Thisblock is ,made of the proper length to give the requlred adjustment andmay be ground to .securesuch adjustment before lacing in its seat. Whenworn out it may e removed and replaced with a new block.

Having fully described by invention, what I claim and desire to secureby-Letters Patent is V 1'; In a friction clutch, the combination 'of ashaft, a driven member rotatively mounted upon the latter; a springwithin said driven member and surroundmg said shaft; driving meansadapted to expand said spring to engage said driven member; said springbeing non-unitary in structure whereby it may be removed from said shaftin a direction transverse with respect to the mounted in juxtapositionand engagingeach other so that they coact to perform the function of asingle spring, each such part being capable of being removed from theshaft without dismounting the latter or removing any of said memberstherefrom.

lgiigned by me, this 29th day of August,

, WILLIAM H. WAITE.

